Guitar Hero Controller for Guitar Players Progress

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 3:25 pm

I've made a few threads about this, so I figured I'd make one big thread for the whole thing.

Basically, if you watch this video, you'll get the gist of why I'm building this.

It all began about two months ago when I began very addicted to Frets On Fire. Originally I used the keyboard, and it was working okay, but I decided to build a Guitar Hero Controller for a computer using no money at all.

My first guitar hero guitar was born. It had paper clip buttons and a nifty little "strum string" to replace the strum bar.

But I wasn't done there! I decided to start planning the final version! Here is a cardboard cutout of the new guitar plan next to the first one.

Since I didn't have the time or materials to actually make it out of wood like I planned, I used the cardboard cutout and a wooden Erector set to create this:

As you can plainly see (hopefully) this looks a lot more like a guitar and less like a.... whatever the first one looked like.

From far away it might just look like a cleaner version of the first one, but there's one big thing that you may have not noticed.

The buttons are all replaced with a string that goes all the way down the guitar! To press on a fret, you PRESS ON A FRET. Here's how the whole thing works.

The string is the ground wire for the whole thing. When it touches any of the 5 fret contacts, or the pick (which is connected to a wire) it completes the circuit!

The finished version will be made out of wood and the frets will be closer together. (I can't reach the 1st and 4th frets at the same time on this one!)

Anyway, I do need to know some things before I continue.

What is the best spacing the for frets? Should I measure the frets on my actual guitar and use that?

What should I use for the frets? Right now I'm using toothpicks wrapped in aluminum foil, but they're pretty weak. Maybe nails with the points cut off?

I'm painting it blue. Do you think it'll look good?

How much would someone pay for something like this?

Well, keep checking this threads for updates. It'll be done soon, and I'll post a video!

SCM

EDIT:

VIDEO OF IT PRETTY MUCH FINISHED!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDHD_1nImoY

benol · Post by **benol** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:31 pm

One word. Pwn.

How well does it work? You never said.

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:26 pm

It actually works really well. It feels A LOT more like a real guitar then the real controller. The only problem is that the frets are way too far apart, but I'll fix that in the final wooden version.

khaag · Post by **khaag** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:40 pm

You just gave me a wicked idea. I'm going to borrow a couple of your ideas

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:55 pm

Amazing. I always thought that I could do better with a realistic guitar, I just could never figure out how to make a string work. If you don't mind, I think I might make one of these myself.

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 8:25 pm

I hope you're planning to use more than one string in the end.

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 8:44 pm

what would be the point of using more than one string?

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:29 pm

I was considering using one string, but it would really only work for games that actually support multiple strings. I mean, I guess I could just have multiple strings but have the same frets, but for now, one is fine.

Also, I replaced the wire for the string with a real guitar string. The only problem is that it actually makes a note when you pluck it! And pressing down on the frets is like a real guitar and you can actually play songs on it! If I make the string looser, the sound is way softer, but I think as long as the game's volume is high enough, the actual sound from the guitar shouldn't be too much of a problem.

jedi knight · Post by **jedi knight** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:31 pm

What's this thing like when playing on expert? It seems like you wouldn't be able to strum as fast with a real string, at least for a non-guitar player like me.

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:05 pm

It seems like you could strum ridiculously fast because you have no mechanism slowing you down like with the strum bar. As fast as your hands can goooo!!!

EDIT: You know what the fun part about this is? You can make real guitar hero controllers with just a PS2 controller, all you have to do is short out the let button on the d-pad and it's detected as a guitar hero guitar!

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:17 pm

Well I haven't really gotten up to expert yet, but for songs like... Take Me Out on Hard, it's really fun! You just strum up and down, and it really feels like playing a guitar. Also, you could cheat because touching the pick to the string counts as a strum. Actually strumming just adds to the experience!

Jedi Knight, it's pretty hard, but that's why i call it a Guitar Hero Controller for GUITAR PLAYERS.

It's pretty much proven that if a guitar play will be better with this controller. My friend who plays Guitar Hero a lot can't play one note on this thing!

Take that, non guitar players!

svalbard · Post by **svalbard** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:26 am

That is really cool. So about how many hours of work has it taken so far?

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 5:45 pm

Well so far, I've actually made three different guitars.

The first probably took me around... 3.

The second, maybe 5 or six.

And the third, wooden one, I've been working on for... I have no idea!

Today I added frets and all the wiring to the 3rd one! It's actually playable! Expect to see a video soon.

khaag · Post by **khaag** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 8:23 pm

So this is for playing frets on fire?

I've actually started doing this to my friends Xplorer controller for the 360. Does anybody know where I can find some pinouts for the GH2 Controller for the 360? I looked on google, but all I could find is the PS2 version...

illustriouschin · Post by **illustriouschin** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:05 pm

that would be extremely cool if it had several strings. wink wink